I was lucky; my dad grew up hunting and Outdoors fishing in southern Mississippi when he was a kid. He hunted with dogs, and they fished small waters from a wooden boat. He had learned at least enough to get me out there when I was young. Granted it didnât hurt being born in the back marsh bayou of Louisiana where wildlife was abundant. I was in boats of some sort from the time I was in diapers. Todayâs busy lifestyles might be an altogether different experience for parents, but there are resources available to help you get your kid into the outdoors like never before.
The key is making sure they are having fun and teaching them the fundamentals about the outdoors. First, start off getting them outside any possible way you can. When I was a kid we moved from south Louisiana to a suburb in north Houston when I was about 5 years old. We played baseball and fished in the summer, and dad took us hunting in the fall. We first learned to fish for small panfish (bream and crappie). This is actually a crucial first step for a kid in getting started fishing and something that many can overlook. Many of us want to take them fishing for trout and reds right off the bat, but the more important thing is to get them catching any fish, and panfish are the most easily caught and readily available.
Even in the Houston suburbs, as a young boy, I went down the street to the local ponds to catch crappie and bream after school. Farm ponds and commercial fishing ponds, where you pay by the pounds of fish you catch, are also good options. But the main thing is to start them with fish that bite easily and locally. Taking a kid out on a possible âgrindâ on the center console tends to just bore them, and thatâs the opposite of what they need at that stage. Later, when theyâve progressed, you can challenge them with fishing for larger bass or get them started catching trout under the lights, and then finally to wade fishing with artificial lures.
Donât just teach them what you know; get them around other quality teachers and more advanced fishermen as they grow. Many fishing guides are great teachers and many specialize in being âteachingâ guides. Also, try to find teachers who can instruct them in the science side of the outdoors. For the most part, this falls into ecology and biology, and there are summer programs, eco tours, state parks and wildlife events, books, and DVDs. This will help them form a more educated position on their hunting and fishing and adds an entirely different aspect to being confident in the outdoors with both hunting and fishing. Itâs this confidence that will also excel them in whatever they choose to do as a career.
Tobin created TroutSupport.com – Tech Support for Speckled Trout and Redfish Anglers.